Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-11-19
MEXICAN LIFE.
HOW 1T APPEARS VIEWED FROM
A BALCONY.
Scenes at a Railway Station-The
Dude of Yautepec = Native
Dress and Undress.

DRESS dui Sn0EcSS.
Especial Correspondence of the RECORD UNION
YUTEPEc Mex, November Z, 1887.
The best visiting land in the world is
Mexico-now so easily accessible, and
still so quantity picturesque. Unfortu-
nately, However, for the tourist, its pris-
tine uuaintness diminishc5 in about the
ratio that the ease with which il may be
visited is increased-for initiative people
take on the customs and costumes of for
eigners with surprising quickness. Scarcely
five years ago no town IN Mexico would
have looked out Of place in Greece, Pales-
tine, Syria or Egypt; and there are yet a
few places, remote from the usual lines of
travel, unspoiled by the tricks and man
ners" of Americans. One of these is Yau-
tepec, away down in the State Of Morelos
"a little city of COCO souls, midway be-
tween Cuantla and Cuernavaca, and about
ninety miles southeast from the CITY of
Mexico. Hereabouts the country remains
precisely the same as in centuries past :;
one hears no word spoken but the Spanish
language, and no foreign element has come
in to introduce foreign ideas and arouse the
people from their siestas.
This most conservative and sleepy little
burg is famous for its orchards, orange
groves and sugar refineries. 1t is delight
fully situated-surrounded on all sides BIZ
Handicapped hights-but being 500 feet
lower than the Capital, its climate is much
warmer.
AT THE RAILWAY STATION,
Not only in Yautepec, but everywhere in
Mexico, three distinct classes of people are
to be seen besides the passengers and en-
ployes, viz: peddlers loungers and beg
gars. Some of the peddlers are as gladly
welcomed by US as they welcome the wan
dering Americana with his ready purse, for
they bring the most tempting fruits, in
Guiding fresh figs, pineapples, Strawberries,
mangoes, and many other varieties pecu-
liar to Mexico which we have learned to
like, but whose names no Northerner can
ever learn to pronounce-all at prices alb
surdly low These peddlers bring you
canes of native woods beautiful ores from
the mines Of far Queretaro, pottery in
quaintest designs, ornamental baskets of
all shapes and sizes, and edibles of every
sort, from tamales to cold roast ducks.
The loungers, too, We can tolerate,
though they watch us with the eyes of
hawks and are ready to steal whatever
they can lay hands on-for their dress and
language is always an interesting study.
Some of the men seem as much too heavily
as others are too scantily clad The ran
chero in comfortable circumstances inva-
riably wears dark WOODEN clothing, even
on hottest days, his garments weighted
with silver coins and buttons, and laden
with embroidery in gold or silver-the
whole topped by wide-spreading, much
bedecked sombrero which weighs many
pounds.
In the coolest days and the highest aIti-
tudes the bare-footed poems appear in the
ARREST of white cotton habiliaments, with
no other protection from wind and weather
than the wooden blanket, in which he
swaddles his neck and head, leaving the
lower extremities bare. The lower classes,
who are not too poor to purchase or too
lazy to make them, wear
HUARACHEs, OR SANDALS.
Which consist merely of heavy sole of
ox-hide much larger than the wearer's
foot, held on by leathern thongs.
But the professional beggars, with their
filth and rags, their sores and diseases, are
altogether disgusting, and merit no tolera-
ton for their unlimited "cheek." None
of them are in the least troubled with
timidity in making known their wants,
but the instant the train stops, Young and
old, male and female, spring forward with
astonishing alacrity, however i'll or Grip
pied they may desire to appear. They
surround you with outstretched hands. or
ciaws-they seize your garments and cling
to you with looks of supplication, murmur-
ing por Dios-" for Gods sake" with as
much pathos as they can muster.
At the Jonacatepea station, where the
train stops half an hour, observed a tall,
gaunt female beggar who WORE fastened to
the front of her gown, the dilapidated re-
mains of an old, broad-brimmed straw hat,
which was supposed to have belong to her
husband, and by that token all beholders
were expected to believe her mourning
widow. She made her tour among the
passengers, with an expression upon her
dirty face Of the deepest woe / ever saw
depicted on the hum countenance. A
few moments later ] happened to notice
her again, she was sitting in triumph on
the platform at the farther end of the
station, the lugubrious expression which
had drawn forth our quarters all gone
from her eountenance and in its stead one
of tranquil contentment, as she smoked
a cigarette and chatted gayly with her
gossiping companions.
At whatever railway station one stops
in Mayicn yrbatbar fo-
luncheon or supper, the first question asked
by the waiter is, How will you have
your eggs cooked! Eggs are a staple
article of food here, and the hardest
worked class In the country are the hens.
For person who is contemplating trip
TO Mexico, 1t is good plan to purchase a
Manual of Conversation" in Spanish, and
learn few of the usual questions and
answers. | assure you it will be great
help, and you cannot go far amiss in the
pronunciation if you remember to apply
the same rules as in Latin. Let us take
LOOK FROM MY BALCONY.
AT old Yautepec. Though in the month
of November, there arc no signs of wall
ing winds and naked woods" for the mel
ancholy days come never in this land of
sunshine. Now that the rainy season is
over, the country is at its best and green
est. The roses are simply gorgeous, straw
berries and oranges are ripening together.
and the soft air is odorous with tropic
fruits and flowers.
That charming little plaza in the center
of the town, with its rustling palms and
broad-leaved bananas, and its pansy-bor-
dered walks hedged by giant rose-trees.
which are trained TO over-arch and en-
bower the winding pathways, is the most
typical bit of Spanish reality have found
in Mexico. Especially at night, when the
surrounding shops are lighted, and men
and wemen saunter about smoking the uni
versal cigarette, and the sweetest music on
earth-shat of mandolin and guitar-flls
the fragrant air beneath a yellow southern
moon, one can readily fancy himself in old
Granada, 'er among the vine-elad hills OF
the Guadalquiver.
But oh, how startling are the contrasts
Music and moonlight, murmuring fount-
aims and love-lit eyes are not all of life in
this dreamy country. Take Just one
everyday example: The Mexican women,
being as fond of pets as are the gentle sis
terhosd in other parts of the world. MANY
OF them choose, not cats or parrots or pugs
nut plgs. Tor theEecipients Of their earesses.
1t Is quite common here to NEE. q woman
hxya